Mozumder NEE, et al., Archiv Surg S Educ 2021, 3: 013 DOI: 10.24966/ASSE-3126/100013 HSOA Archives of Surgery and Surgical Education Case Report 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global health emergency due to its A Recovered Case of high infectivity along with significant morbidity and mortality [1,2]. According to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 resource center, more Massive Pericardial Effusion than 14 million people have been infected with this virus worldwide with more than six hundred thousand mortality confirmed up to 20 with Impending Cardiac July, 2020 [3]. Though fever, cough, myalgia and shortness of breath have been considered as common symptoms, patient may develop Tamponade: An Atypical serious complications like Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), cardiac injury and secondary super infection, which can Presentation of COVID-19 lead to death [4]. Substantial number of COVID-19 patients have been presented with acute coronary syndrome (STEMI or NSTEMI), acute myocardial injury without obstructive coronary artery disease, Noor-E-Elahi Mozumder1*, Muhammad Nasif Imtiaz1, Omar Sadeque Khan1, Rezwanul Hoque1, Khan Amanur Rahman1, Abu arrhythmias, heart failure ± cardiogenic shock, pericardial effusion, Jafar Tareq Morshed2, Zanzibul Tareq2 thromboembolic complications, which have been termed as acute COVID-19 Cardiovascular Syndrome (ACovCS) [5]. In this context, 1Department of Cardiac Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, we are reporting a case of COVID-19 complicated with massive Dhaka, Bangladesh pericardial effusion with impending cardiac tamponade and we have 2Department of Cardiac Surgery, National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, found that no such massive effusion case has been reported yet. Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh Case Report A 54 year old hypertensive, type-2 diabetic woman presented to the emergency department with orthopnea, dyspnea, fever, cough, Background myalgia, nausea, anorexia for 6 days. Three members of her family COVID-19 became a global health emergency due to its highly was suffering from fever and 1 day back her son tested positive for contagious nature. A substantial number of patients have been SARS-CoV-2. On physical examination, she was found anxious, presented in emergency with acute COVID-19 Cardiovascular febrile (100°C), dyspneic (aggravates on lying down). Her oxygen Syndrome (ACovCS). Pericardial involvement has been reported saturation was 98%, respiratory rate 32 breaths/min, heart rate rarely so far. We report a case of massive pericardial effusion with 122bpm, pulse was feeble, pulsus paradoxus present and heart sound impending cardiac tamponade in a COVID-19 patient. Pericardial fluid was muffled. She also had raised JVP, diminished breath sound in left drainage done urgently using CV catheter under echocardiographic lower lung field, bilateral leg edema. Admission ECG showed sinus guidance and 1000ml of sero-hemorrhagic fluid drained. Thorough tachycardia with low voltage ECG wave. After initial management, investigation revealed cytokine storm and no other apparent cause her nasopharyngeal swab was sent for RT-PCR of SARS-CoV-2 and of pericardial effusion. Critical clinical evaluation of cardiovascular CT scan of chest was done which revealed pericardial effusion and system of patients with COVID-19 is essential to save lives. collapse of left lower lung (Figure 1). Introduction Since its emergence in Wuhan, China, a novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected almost every country of the world. Coronavirus disease *Corresponding author: Noor-E-Elahi Mozumder, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Shahbag, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tel: +880 1813750616; E-mail: [email protected] Citation: Mozumder NEE, Imtiaz MN, Khan OS, Hoque R, Rahman KA, et al. (2021) A Recovered Case of Massive Pericardial Effusion with Impending Cardiac Tamponade: An Atypical Presentation of COVID-19. Archiv Surg S Educ 3: 013. Received: February 24, 2021; Accepted: March 01, 2021; Published: March 10, 2021 Copyright: © 2021 Mozumder NEE, et al. This is an open-access article dis- tributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided Figure 1: CT scan of chest. the original author and source are credited. Citation: Mozumder NEE, Imtiaz MN, Khan OS, Hoque R, Rahman KA, et al. (2021) A Recovered Case of Massive Pericardial Effusion with Impending Cardiac Tamponade: An Atypical Presentation of COVID-19. Archiv Surg S Educ 3: 013. • Page 2 of 6 • She was found RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2 and emergency complications and it is a leading cause of death in COVID-19 [7- echocardiography revealed severe circumferential pericardial 10]. Among acute COVID-19 cardiovascular syndromes, acute effusion (30mm) with partial collapse of right atrium. Patient was coronary syndrome and myocardial injury are reported commonly immediately taken to operating room for pericardial fluid drainage. and pericardial involvement has been reported rarely. A meta-analysis On operating table her blood pressure was 80/40mm Hg, pulse- 130 of chest CT findings of 2738 COVID-19 patients reported pericardial beats/min, SpO2- 92% without oxygen and there was arrhythmia effusion in 4.55% of patients [11]. We have found 4 reported cases on ECG. Immediate pericardial fluid drainage done in minimal of cardiac tamponade with COVID-19. Among them 3 patients had invasive way using CV catheter in seldinger technique under preexisting cardiac disease (cardiomyopathy and myopericarditis) echocardiographic guidance from subcostal approach and 1000ml and 1 patient developed mechanical ventilation associated tamponade of sero-hemorrhagic fluid was drained. Pericardial fluid was sent [12-15]. We are reporting the case of impending cardiac tamponade for physical, biochemical, cytological and microbiological study. due to massive sero-hemorrhagic pericardial effusion with COVID-19, Patient’s clinical condition improved significantly after drainage of which we urgently drained in minimal invasive way using CV pericardial fluid. Continuous pericardial drainage was maintained by catheter in seldinger technique under echocardiographic guidance. CV catheter in situ for 72 hours and a total of 1250ml of fluid was Patient also had cytokine release syndrome as reflected by raised drained. Pericardial fluid study revealed no malignant cell, negative ESR, CRP, D-Dimer, Ferritin, LDH and lymphopenia. The patient for Gram stain and acid-fast bacilli smear, no growth on bacterial and had no previous history of angina, myocarditis or cardiac injury fungal culture, WBC- 700/mm3 (polymorph- 95%, lymphocyte- 5%), which was demonstrated by normal troponin-I level, no regional wall glucose- 3.41mmol/L, protein- 29.76g/L. RT-PCR of pericardial fluid motion abnormality and good ejection fraction on echocardiography. couldn’t be done due to lack of facility. Thyroid function test and Pericardial effusion is a common manifestation of viral pericarditis serum albumin was normal. After 72 hours chest x-ray revealed no which can lead to cardiac tamponade, but such massive effusion is effusion and ECG revealed anterior ischemia (T wave inversion in rare. Exact mechanism of cardiac involvement of COVID-19 hasn’t lead V1-V6). Abnormal laboratory test findings were ESR- 69mm in been understood yet, but it has been hypothesized that direct viral 1st hour, CRP- 48mg/l, D-Dimer- 9.8mg/l, NT-pro BNP- 1423pg/ml invasion or autoimmune type reaction leading to cytokine storm and and Ferritin- 880.2ng/ml which reflects about cytokine storm in body. exaggerated systemic inflammatory response may be responsible [13-16]. However, direct mechanism of pericarditis and pericardial Patient was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics, methyl effusion due to COVID-19 is still unclear. So far, only one case prednisolone, diuretics, ACEI, beta blocker, LMWH and other has been reported RT-PCR positive of pericardial fluid with several supportive management for COVID-19. She became afebrile after 7 false negative results [14,17]. Thus, RT-PCR of pericardial fluid in days and found RT-PCR negative for COVID-19 after 12 days. She case of pericardial effusion is conclusory for COVID-19, clinical was discharged as her clinical condition improved overall. She came correlation needed rather and CV catheter can be used for emergency to follow-up after 2 weeks and routine investigations including ECG, pericardiocentesis in impending cardiac tamponade, especially in this Echocardiography were done. T inversion was no longer present pandemic situation. on chest leads of ECG and Echocardiography showed good left ventricular function (EF-67%), no regional wall motion abnormality Conclusion and minimal (2mm) posterior effusion (Figure 2). Other routine tests Critical clinical evaluation of cardiovascular system of every revealed normal finding. COVID-19 patient in emergency department is necessary. Quick anticipation and timely intervention can save lives during this pandemic. References 1. Wu Z, McGoogan JM (2020) Characteristics of and important lessons from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China: Summary of a report of 72314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA 323: 1239-1242. 2. Chen N, Zhou M, Dong X, Qu J, Gong F, et al. (2020) Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan,